Jasikevicius ahead of El Clasico: 'Real is one of the best teams in Europe' / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix Credit ZUMAPRESS.com - Scanpix

El Clasico is one of the most awaited matchups in sports, both basketball, and football. Two powerhouses - FC Barcelona and Real Madrid - battling each other until the very last second always promise an exciting spectacle for the viewers.

Points this season

49%82,6Points made:82,6Accuracy:49,0%Place in standings:2Record max:111Record min:64Best scorer:Nikola MiroticTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Ahead of tonight's match against their fiercest rivals, Barcelona's head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius acknowledged the opponent.

"A new story, everything starts from scratch. We have to control emotions, be together and do our thing. We must not cede anything," Saras noted. "I feel like I am repeating myself before these kinds of games, details, but you have to do it right if you want to win this."

"Real Madrid is one of the best teams in Europe, and all data from past games against them are great, but as I said, this is new," Jasikevicius continued. "They will be very motivated from the start and we have to be aware of that."

Barca's center Brandon Davies agreed with his coach. "Each game, each Clasico is a new game. It doesn't matter how you are playing at the moment or how you played in the past. It's a new story," Davies said ahead of the match.

"As a competitor you love going into hostile environments, playing on the road, and feeding off that negative energy that the crowd gives off. When you can get a win on the road it's even more special," the American-Ugandan player finished his thoughts.

Davies had a career-high 4 blocks in a home win against Real last season. Previous to playing for Barcelona, the center posted his career-high in scoring with 27 points playing for Zalgiris Kaunas against Real in April 2019.

On the other side, Real Madrid's longtime head coach Pablo Laso expressed similar remarks looking forward to El Clasico. "Players know this is a tough, important game. We play against a great opponent, but they know that," Laso said. "I cannot lie to them and say that if we beat Barcelona tomorrow, we will win the EuroLeague."

Real Madrid / Schedule

Real Madrid Zenit Saint Petersburg85-64 Fenerbahce Istanbul Real Madrid66-51 Real Madrid FC BarcelonaFri19:45

"Tomorrow's game is important, it is a 'clasico', a tough game against a great opponent," the coach continued. "We are first in the EuroLeague and will try to keep that spot. I can tell them [players] all that, but they know it already."

The royal club's veteranSergio Llullstressed the importance of facing Barcelona at home during an important stretch in the EuroLeague. "We play at home in front of a great team like FC Barcelona, a team with great players in all positions," the guard told the media before the game. "Our chances will rely on playing good defense, controlling rebounds, and always imposing our rhythm on offense."

Llull has fond memories of playing against Barca. The veteran guard posted his career-best performance index rating of 32 in an 85-69 win against Barcelona in March 2017. This prolific display earned him the MVP of the Round honors at that time.

Recent history

Going into the 30th clásico in the EuroLeague this century, Barcelona leads Real 15-14 in the series after its 93-80 win in Round 14 behind a career-best performance from Nikola Mirotic, who had personal highs of 32 points and 39 PIR while grabbing 10 rebounds and earning the MVP of the Round honor. Barcelona swept Real last season, including a 76-81 road triumph as Pierre Oriola led the way with 18 points and 6 rebounds.

Familiar faces

Real forward Adam Hanga spent the last four seasons with Barcelona where he helped the team win one domestic league title and three Spanish Cups. Thomas Heurtel spent more than three seasons with Barcelona, joining the team ahead of the 2017-18 season and splitting with the team halfway through last season. Barcelona playmaker Nicolas Laprovittola arrived this summer from Real Madrid where he had spent the last two seasons.

Record breakers

Barcelona point guard Nick Calathes dished 16 assists to break the EuroLeague Playoffs record while playing for Panathinaikos OPAP Athens against Real in Game 1 of the 2018 playoffs. Real swingman Rudy Fernandez posted his career-high in index rating with 38 for Real against Barcelona in February 2015. It earned him the last of his seven MVP of the Round honors.

The two clubs meet today at 20:45 CET in Wizink Center in Madrid in a battle of EuroLeague leaders. The game can't come soon enough!

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